Giving Compass' Take:

• Jem Porcaro explains how renewable energy is creating sustainable improvements for maternal healthcare in developing counties. 

• How can philanthropists support the expansion of this model? 

• Learn how clean energy can empower women. 

Women in developing countries are 300 times more likely to die from childbirth than women in developed countries. According to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2015, approximately 830 women died every day due to complications during pregnancy or childbirth; 99 percent of these deaths occur in developing countries.

Access to electricity is a powerful solution that can improve the quality of health care services for mothers and their families.

When health facilities have sufficient and reliable power, women can more safely give birth at night in well-lit delivery rooms, medical equipment can be better sterilized, and clinics can preserve lifesaving vaccines for newborns, children, and adults.

However, in most of sub-Saharan Africa, roughly one-third of health facilities have reliable access to electricity, as most primary health care facilities are remote and not connected to the national grid.

Fortunately, solar energy is changing this reality. This past fall, the United Nations Foundation are implementing off-grid solar power systems at 36 primary health care facilities in Uganda and a further 26 in Ghana, improving access to health services, particularly maternal, newborn, and child health services in rural areas.

Read the full article on sustainable solutions for maternal healthcare by Jem Porcaro at United Nations Foundation.